Automatic controlling-valve.



.l. AULD 6L1. GRAHAM. AUTOMATIC CONTROLLING VALVE. APPLICATION FILEDMAR. 21. 1914.

LQBLMU, Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

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JOHN AULD AND JOHN GRAHAM, OF GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

. AUTOMATIC CONTROLLING-VALVE.

Application filed March 21, 1914.

To all whom 2'5 may concern Be it known that we, JOHN AULD and JOHNGRAHAM, engineers, subjects of the King of Great Bdtain and Ireland, andresidents of Glasgow, Scotland, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Controlling-l alves tor Discharging Torpedoesfrom Tubes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic controlling valvesfor firing torpedoes from tubes, of the class in which the spindle ofthe main valve is fitted with a piston working within a cylinder and hasa spring around the spindle between the piston 211d the spindle guide toassist in keeping the valve closed, the valve being opened by thepressure medium being admitted to act on the outer side of piston, thewhole forming a combined controlling or reducing andnon return valve,and by a modification a combined controlling or reducing, non return andfiring valve, for discharging tor pedoes from torpedo tubes bycompressed air or other pressure fluid, the use 01 the usual firingvalve being dispensed with in the latter modification, the main objectof the invention being to maintain a constant pressure on the outletside of the valve while the torpedo is being discharged.

in order that others skilled in the art to which our invention relatesmay properly nnders and same. we have hereunto appended one sheet oiillustrative drawings in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of avalve constructed in accordance with our invention, Fig. 2 is asectional elevation of a modified construction, and Fig. 8 is adiagrammatic view showing our invention connected to certain otherelements.

As shown in Fig. 1, the main valve 1 is carried within casing 2 havingan inlet- 3 in connection with the usual firing valve, not shown, and anoutlet 1 leading to the torpcdo tube The main valve 1 makes a tightjointwith its seating 6 formed on the casing 2 and has a spindle 7 whichpasses through the guide 8 and is fitted at its upper end with abalancing piston 9 working within a cylinder 10 formed within thecasing. A

spring 11 is fitted around the spindle 7 and abuts against the guide 8and the piston 9, so tending to hold the valve shut. An opening throughthe top cover of the casing and fitted with a non return valve 12 leadspressure air leaking past the piston 9, between Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Apr. 2, 191%.

Serial No. 826,363.

it and the cylinder 10, to the pilot valve by the duct 13. The pilotvalve 1 1- which with its casing is carried by the duct 13, is fitted toopen downward and is connected by a spindle 15 to the balancing piste-1116 of a cylinder .16"-, which balances the valve against varyingpressures in the upper part of the cylinder 10, and to the piston 17 ofa cylinder 19 which balances the valve against varying pressures whichmay come through the valve 14-. Any leakage past these pistons finds itsway to the space below the valve 1 through the duct 25 in the spindle 15and by the pipe 23.

A diaphragm 18 is fitted to the lower part of the casing and forms adiaphragm chamher which also serves as the cylinder 19. A piston 20 isfitted below the diaphragm and is connected to the piston 17 and isacted on by the spring 21 adjusted to the pressure desired within thetorpedo tube. Pipe co11- neetions 22 and 23 are led from the space belowthe valve 1 1 and from the diaphragm chamber 19 to the space below themain valve 1.

The action is as follows The valve is intended for working inconjunction with a firing valve 01 the usual construction. It is obviousthat until the valve 14 is opened the air in the cylinder 10 above thepiston 9 is at the same pressure as the air in the space above the valve1, and which is much greater than. in the way 4-, or at least at such agreater pressure will overcome the spring 11. Immediately the firingvalve is opened, high pressure air onters the space above the valve 1which is balanced by the piston 9, and leaking past the piston into theupper part of the cylinder 1O accumulates there until its pressureovercomes the power of the spring 11 and causes the valve 1 to open andallow the pressure air to pass by the outlet l; to the torpedo tube Whenthe air pressure in the torpedo tube reaches the pro-determined pressureit acts back through the pipe connection 23 to the diaphragm chamber 19where it acts on the piston 18 and overcoming the pressure 01' thespring 21 causes the valve 14 to open. The opening of the valve 14allows the pressure air in the upper part of the cylinder 10 to escapeby the duct 13 through the valve 1 1 and by the pipe con= nection 2:2and tube 24: to the space below the valve 1. The escape of the pressureair from above th piston 9 allows it to rise and wholly or partiallyclose the valve 1. It will be noted that the spring 21 is displaced by apressure in the way t which is less than is required in the cylinder 10to displace the spring 11 to open the valve.

If the pressure in the torpedo tube tends to fall below that requiredbefore the torpedo is discharged, the diaphragm 1S and piston 20 areforced upward by the spring 21 thereby wholly or partially closing thevalve 14 thus allowing the pressure to accumulate in the cylinder 10, byleakage past the piston 9, and open the valve 1 to supply the extrapressure air required to maintain a steady pressure in the torpedo tube.

By a modification, as illustrated by Fig. 2, the ordinary discharging orfiring valves are dispensed with and the discharge is effected by athree way cock 26 which may be operated by hand or by electricity. Thisform of our invention is so constructed that as shown in Fig. 3 thedischarging pressure air receivers 26 are connected to the inlet 3 andare generally charged with compressed air from high pressure air bottles26" by means of a separate small reducing valve 2? and the branch 27 ofthe cock 26 connects with this reducing valve.

When charging the discharging receivers through the branches 27 and 2Sand port 29 it is necessary that the pilot valve be kept shut oil tight,as is also necessary until the torpedo is to be discharged. This isQIlitQCtBCl by fitting a flexible disk or face 30 on the piston 9 whichprevents any pressure air passing to the upper side of the piston andopening the valve while the receivers are being charged. lVhen thefiring receivers are charged up to the pressure required a cock on theinlet side of branch 27 may be closed, but this is not absolutelynecessary if a reducing valve is titted to the high pressure airbottles.

When the torpedo is to be discharged the key of the three way cook 26 isturned so that the branch 27 is closed and connection is made betweenbranches 28 and 31, which it will be understood are of considerablysmaller cross section than the pipe 22. Pressure now passes to the upperside of the piston 9 and forces it down to open the valve 1 in a similarmanner to that described in reference to Fi 1. The action of the pilotvalve which is also used in this modification is exactly the same as hasbeen described.

In both modifications the valve 1 acts as acheck or non return valve toprevent any pressure passing back from the torpedo tube to the inlet ofthe valve.

hat we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- 1. Thecombination of a casing having an inlet and outlet; a valve closing theoutlet; a cylinder in the casing; a piston connected to said valve andoperative within the cylinder; a spring operative between a portion ofthe casing and the piston; a pilot valve; a conduit connecting the samewith the cylinder; a non-return valve in said conduit; and a secondconduit between the pilot valve and the outlet of the casing.

2. The combination of a casing having an inlet and outlet; a valveclosing the outlet; a cylinder in the casing; a piston connected to saidvalve and operative within the cylinder; a spring operative between aportion of the casing and the piston; a pilot valve; a conduitconnecting the same with the cylinder; a non-return valve in saidconduit: a second conduit between the pilot valve and the outlet of thecasing; with a diaphragm closing off one end of the cylinder from theinterior of the casing.

3. The combination-of a casing having an inlet and an outlet; a mainvalve in the casing; a pilot valve; cylinders on opposite sides of saidpilot valve; balancing pistons operative in the cylinders and connectedto the pilot valve; a diaphragm casing; a spring-pressed diapl'iragmtherein acting on the pilot valve; means for connectingthe diaphragmchamber and the space adjacent the pilot valve with the outlet of thecasing; a. third cylinder; a piston therein operative on the main valveand a conduit connecting the pilot valve with said last cylinder.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN AULD. JOHN enanan.

Witnesses R. C. Tirol-arson; M. Maonnnzrn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C.

